Made-in-India messaging app 'Arattai' tops app store charts, overtakes WhatsApp

India’s homegrown messaging app Arattai has surged to the top of app store charts in India, overtaking WhatsApp. The company announced on X, "We’re officially #1 in Social Networking on the App Store!"

The milestone caps a week of growing buzz around the platform, fuelled by endorsements, memes, and a wave of patriotic downloads.

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Arattai overtakes rivals

Launched in 2021, Arattai, its name drawn from the Tamil word for "chat" or "chit-chat," was initially viewed as a scrappy side-project by Zoho.

But amid AI anxieties, spyware scandals, and heightened scrutiny of Big Tech platforms, its pitch as a "spyware-free, made-in-India messenger" has resonated strongly.

Fresh visibility from government circles has amplified the momentum. Earlier this week, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged Indians to embrace local digital platforms, specifically naming Arattai.

The response was swift: the app climbed past WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal on both iOS and Android.

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Server hiccups

The sudden spike in sign-ups has tested the app’s infrastructure. Zoho admitted in its celebratory post that it is "working hard to expand servers" to handle the surge.

Early users have reported delays in sign-ups and message syncing across devices. The company has also flagged specific issues.

"Some of you may experience OTP delays or failures, slower contact sync, or call issues due to unexpected load on our servers," Arattai posted on X, adding that fixes may take "a couple of days".

Privacy edge

Arattai doesn’t move far from standard messaging features: one-to-one and group chats with text, voice notes, file sharing, audio and video calls, with Zoho promising end-to-end encryption and multi-device support - including desktop and Android TV.

It also offers Stories and channels, letting users broadcast updates or follow creators. What’s winning over users, however, is Zoho’s strict privacy stance.

Unlike global rivals often accused of monetising personal data, Zoho stresses that Arattai does not exploit user information and remains firmly committed to privacy, an appealing message in a country where concerns over surveillance and digital sovereignty run high.

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Real test ahead

WhatsApp still dominates India with over 500 million users and remains the default for chatting, calls, and even business. Arattai’s chart-topping moment signals strong curiosity, but sustained usage is another battle.

One key limitation is encryption: while calls are end-to-end encrypted, it is yet to roll out the feature for chats. Zoho has promised to roll out full encryption soon. Until then, WhatsApp retains a crucial edge.

For now, Zoho is celebrating Arattai’s No. 1 moment while scrambling to strengthen infrastructure. Download numbers haven’t been disclosed, but the trajectory looks promising.

The bigger test will be whether the app can hold its ground once the initial hype cools, and whether its servers can keep pace with millions more eager to log on.